Marking buoy



1949 G. s. LEWIS ET AL 7 2,490,875

MARKING BUOY Filed July 25, 1946 Patented Dec. 13, 1949 MARKING BUOYGeorge S. Lewis and Glen D. Kerns, Alexandria, Minn.

Application July 25, 1946, Serial No. 686,208

1 Claim.

Our invention relates to marking buoys generally, and more specificallyto such buoys which are adapted for use as depth markers in bodies ofwater where it is desirable to mark the location of certain objects orfishing grounds.

Our novel device comprises a spool-shaped winding drum which is providedwith an eccentric weight which tends to check rotation of the same.Secured to the drum and adapted to be wound thereabout is a line on thefree end of which is secured an anchor which exerts a sufficientgravitational pull on the line to overcome the rotation-checkingtendency of the weight secured to the drum. In this manner, and when thedrum and anchor are placed over the spot desired to be marked, theanchor drops to the bottom while rotating the drum and unwinding theline in its downward course through the water. Of course, when theanchor is resting on the bottom, it no longer exerts any gravitationalpull upon the line and drum; and the eccentric weight holds the drumagainst further rotation, thereby marking precisely the desired spot.

The above and still further objects of our invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed specification, appended claim, and attacheddrawings.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like partsthroughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing our invention in operation in abody of water; and

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the parts showing :Fig. 1 with some partsbeing broken away.

Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, the numeral Iindicates a buoyant body, preferably and as shown, in the nature of acylindrical winding drum. Rigidly secured to the interior of the drum,also preferably and as shown immediately adjacent the periphery thereof,is an eccentrically disposed, preferably cross sectionally segmental,elongated weight 2 which, as shown, extends from one end of the drum tothe other.

Secured to the exterior of the drum and projecting radially therefromare spool-forming elements, preferably and as shown, in the nature ofdiametrically opposed pairs of fingers 3 which are longitudinally spacedapart with one pair being immediately adjacent each end of the drum I soas to provide therebetween a spool surface 4. As shown, one of the pairsof spoolforming fingers 3 immediately underlies the center of gravity ofthe weight 2 which is secured "to the interior of the drum and the otherpair immediately overlie the weight 2. A line 5 is secured at one end,as indicated at 6, to the winding drum I and is adapted to be woundthereabout as indicated at 1 intermediate the pairs of spool-formingfingers 3. The opposite end of the line 5 is secured at anchor 8 whichis of sufficient weight to exert a gravitational pull upon the line 5suflicient to overcome the rotation checking tendency of the eccentricweight 2 secured to the drum when the drum I and anchor 8 are placedinto a body of water or the like which is indicated by the letter .B.

It will be observed that when the anchor 8 is resting on the bottom y ofthe body of water and the eccentric weight 2 is preventing rotation ofthe drum I, one pair of fingers 3 are in an upstanding position topositively prevent the line 5 from slipping off either end of the drumI.

Our invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completelysatisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects.

What we claim is:

In a-"device of the class described, a hollow cylindrical water-tightwinding drum, pairs of diametrically-opposed radially-projecting fingersadjacent the ends of said drum, a longitudinally-extendedeccentrically-disposed weight rigidly secured within said drum, a linesecured at one of its ends to one of said fingers and adapted to bewound on said drum intermediate said fingers, and an anchor on the otherend of said line, said anchor exerting a greater gravitational pull onthe line than the weight secured to said drum, one pair of saidspool-forming fingers underlying the center of gravity of the weight insaid drum.

GEORGE S. LEWIS. GLEN D. KERNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 946,174 Vroman et al. Jan. 11,1910 1,288,108 Messer Dec. 17, 1918 1,993,974 McVickar Mar. 12, 19352,044,795 Knight June 23, 1936

